Portsmouth boys outlast Lebanon to reach championship

Saturday

Mar 15, 2014 at 2:00 AM

EXETER — As the third quarter neared its midpoint Friday, the scoreboard showed the size of the deficit the Portsmouth High School boys basketball team faced — eight points — but couldn't really describe the uneasiness that went with it.

Mike Zhe

EXETER — As the third quarter neared its midpoint Friday, the scoreboard showed the size of the deficit the Portsmouth High School boys basketball team faced — eight points — but couldn't really describe the uneasiness that went with it.

"We were down eight," said Portsmouth coach Jim Mulvey, "but it felt like a lot more than eight."

In a non-traditional Division II semifinal venue, the second-seeded Clippers found an unorthodox way to win, coming from behind in the fourth quarter to beat No. 3 Lebanon, 49-43, at Exeter High School, and reaching a state championship game for the third time in four seasons.

Their opponent in Saturday's championship game (3 p.m.) at the University of New Hampshire? Top-seeded and defending champion Pembroke Academy, which had little trouble with No. 4 Pelham in the late semifinal, winning 62-40.

Though their ending was fulfilling, the Clippers (19-2) weren't happy with the minutes that preceded it, including a dismal second quarter that plunged them into the deficit they'd chase until the final minutes.

"I felt like had we played as hard as we did in the second half, that feeling could have come earlier," said senior guard Donovan Phanor, who led all scorers with 12 points.

The Clippers didn't lead after halftime until Charlie Lehoux made a steal on the defensive end, got fouled and made both tries to put his team up 37-35. That kicked off a rare sequence of five straight scoring trips, one capped by guard Nick Mackey, who was back in the game and playing with four fouls, making a jumper to put his team up 41-40.

The next sequence determined which fork a twisting game would take. Lebanon's freshman point guard and leading scorer, K.J. Matte, missed the front end of a one-and-one with his team down by a point.

At the other end, a possession call went the Clippers' way and Lebanon forward Nic Shepherd, one of six players playing with four fouls, was assessed a technical call after arguing the call all the way back down court.

Phanor made one free throw to make it 43-40 and his team, with possession, trimmed 40 seconds off the clock before turning the ball over with a little over a minute to play.

Patrick Glynn (10 points) then hit two free throws after the Raiders were called for an illegal screen and the Clippers, finally, could breathe easy.

"Oh, yeah," said Glynn. "It was getting a little scary in the second quarter. But I never felt that we didn't have a chance to come back."

"In the end, we were forced to foul. They had some pretty good possessions in the last few minutes," said Lebanon coach Kieth Matte. "In the second half, we had some naked threes, some great looks. Kids who are great shooters didn't make them. It's that simple."

While the Clippers had their own struggles offensively — just 10 made baskets — they held the Raiders' top two scorers, Matte and senior guard Kalin Sou, to two points apiece. Forward Dom Morrill led them with 11 points.

Behind Joey Glynn, who grabbed six rebounds in the first quarter alone, and a three from the top of the key by Lehoux, the Clippers raced ahead 11-0. They didn't allow a point until Lebanon's Gage Young got free for an inside hoop more than six minutes in.

"It was a combination of two things," said Matte. "We were a little nervous and they played great defense."

But the Raiders (17-4) got some traction by scoring the last three baskets of the quarter, making it 11-6. Then they began forcing turnovers with their press, leading to four straight foul shots. By the time the last of those fell, the gap was down to 13-12 and Mackey was on the bench with his third foul.

"The second quarter was really disturbing," said Mulvey. "We backed down for a minute and we're behind."

It got worse. Morrill gave the Raiders their first lead, 14-13, with an inside hoop. It grew to 19-15 after a quick sequence that saw Young score, and then Martin Gradijan force a turnover on the press and cruise in for another basket, prompting Mulvey to call timeout.

The lead got as big as eight and was 24-18 when the horn sounded for halftime. And it was back to eight into the third quarter before the Clippers began chipping away, one of the biggest chips a three by freshman guard Shon Parham, playing because Mackey was in foul trouble.

"At halftime, I said there's nothing more to be nervous about," said Mulvey. "I said, 'You guys have played in big games. Just play.'"

Advertise

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
seacoastonline.com ~ 111 New Hampshire Ave., Portsmouth, NH 03801 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service